


Left for the Wolves

by AceGalaxy



Series: New and Improved [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: BAMF Stiles Stilinski, Discussion of Abortion, Don't worry, F/F, F/M, Future Fic, Implied/Referenced Abortion, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Infidelity, It's only a minor character that dies, M/M, Magic, Off-screen Character Death, Pack Family, Pack Feels, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-11
Updated: 2015-09-05
Packaged: 2017-11-28 21:29:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/679078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceGalaxy/pseuds/AceGalaxy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She is really busy. Being co-captain of the swim team means swim practice almost everyday along with magic practice because Uncle Stiles was adamant that she be able to defend herself considering she was the only human in the pack besides him. She’s also class president. Oh, and she may or may not be totally and completely in love with Dylan Hale. Jeez, Grace’s senior year is a bitch.</p><p>Set 25 years after Everything and Nothing</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just Another Day

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter is just the intro and pictures of the characters. I'll post the first chapter soon.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace heads to practice and discovers something.  
> Stiles consults Deaton, and then Deaton tells the adults some not-so shocking news.  
> And a beginning for one couple.

**PRESENT DAY**

Haley and Grace sat in silence for a few moment, and even the guys had tuned in to the conversation. Nobody spoke until Johnny asked, "So what happened next?"

Normally Grace wouldn't have been so open about her personal life, but she had known this raggedy bunch since freshman year when their dorms were next to each other on the third floor of their house. Wyatt had told everyone about his dad's drug addiction, Johnny had opened up about his brother's death, Henry, the quiet one of the group had even had his fair share of stories and Haley as well. And once in freshman year Johnny had accidentally wolfed out and almost killed everyone until Grace was able to calm him down. Then Henry was almost killed in a car accident, and was turned by Johnny's Alpha, his mother, and so the whole werewolf thing ended up being a pretty big secret that Grace no longer had to keep. Haley and Wyatt had taken the reveal as well as could be expected, and even Henry was able to adjust to being a werewolf and now their all living together under one roof in senior housing. 

They'd come a long way, and Grace trusted them with her life. So, she continued the story. 

* * *

 

**FOUR YEARS AGO**

The next day all anybody could talk about was James and Grace being the new power couple. It was irritating at first, but the two quickly adopted it. Maybe now Grace could go on a double date with Dylan and Sabrina. James also didn’t have to worry to much about keeping his secret because nobody had a problem believing that he loved Grace. It was just more of best friend in the world kind of love, but werewolves couldn’t tell the difference. Dylan was the only one in the pack who believed them even for a second. The adults laughed when they heard the news, reminiscing about how much it sounded like when her Uncle Stiles liked her Uncle Derek, but he didn’t know, but everybody else did. No matter, though. They were ok because everyone at school believed them.

* * *

It was Friday, which meant pack weekend. The Pack would spend Friday afternoon training and then the weekend together. Saturday and Sunday the teens would do whatever they wanted; go shopping, go to the movies, go on dates, whatever, and then at night they came back to the Hale house. The entire Pack spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights sleeping at the Hale house. The teens the entire next week off from school due to the earthquake that ravaged a huge part of California the night before.

Grace came home from school quickly to drop off a few things before headed to training. She stopped in the kitchen and found her Abba eating a sandwich. “Hey, Champ,” he said and smiled her.

“Hey Abba,” she replied.

“You just stopping by?” he asked.

“Yeah, just getting a few things before heading over the Uncle Stiles for training.”

“Great. I’m just waiting for your father. He’s upstairs in the shower and your brothers already at the House. We’ll meet you there.”

Huh, she hadn’t realized the shower had been running until now. If Stiles were here, he would’ve swatted her on the head for not being aware of her surroundings. 

“Ok. Bye Abba. Love you.” Grace said and kissed her dad goodbye. 

She arrived at the Hale house. A House that she hoped she would someday live in with Dylan and their children and the pack grandkids… 

“Grace!” She heard a familiar voice call. She looked up and found her Uncle Stiles smiling and motioning for her to come over.

She met him inside the living room. He was cleaning some things up.

 “One second, sweetheart.” She liked it when he called her that. He called all the children in the pack ‘hon’, but he called Grace and Dylan and Liam sweetheart. He called Uncle Derek some names too, but she wasn’t allowed to repeat those in public. Stiles closed his eyes, concentrated and snapped his fingers and just like that all the objects and papers were gone from the table in front of him. 

“Now, let’s get started, shall we.” He perked up and sat down in his big chair. However, just as they were about to start, Dylan came down the stairs on the phone with Sabrina. “Love you more! No, I do. Ok, I gotta go. See ya, babe.” He hung up and look up from his phone. “Grace, hey!” He said and smiled. 

She simply waved at him. “God, I’m so lucky. Sabrina is such a great girl.” Grace had heard Dylan talk about Sabrina hundreds of times and she never let it get to her. This time was different. This time she felt this feeling deep in her gut that was telling her to kill Sabrina and show Dylan what a true girlfriend was like. She needed to prove to him that she was better than Sabrina.

 _He sees in me what he doesn’t see in you_. Without warning, Grace’s eyes turned white and the ground began to shake. The wolves all stood up immediately and Derek was just about to rush to Stiles’ side when he shouted, “No! No, everything is ok. This happened to me when I was discovering my magic. I didn’t know she had magic. How is that possible? I though it was genetic.”

Genetic? Her Parents had magic… Magic? She didn’t have magic. Not like Uncle Stiles did. She could hear Stiles explaining to the pack what was going on.

“She just needs to calm down. I think I know what triggered it, but she needs to settle down and all of you moving with werewolf speed will only make her worse.”

 Dylan was still stunned by what was happening, but also confused. “Whoa there Grace, calm down. What’s gotten into you?” He knew he shouldn’t be saying that, but damn his Stilinski talking genes! 

Grace became furious. _He sees in me what he doesn’t see in you._  First this Sabrina talk and now _she_ was the one who needed fixing. That was the last straw. She focused on him and he began to choke. She knew she was doing it, choking him with, for the lack of a better term, the force.

“Grace stop!” Stiles yelled. “Stop, you’re hurting him!”

She stopped. She had hurt him. The look on his face said it all. She had hurt her the wolf she was so in love with. Now he would never love her and she would be alone and she won’t live in the Hale house with her children.

Her Dads rushed to her side as she broke down crying in their arms. The whole pack was stunned. Little Lena asked her mom what happened. “I don’t know, sweetie. I don’t know.”

Stiles spoke in his Alpha-Mate voice: “Tyler and James, take your sister upstairs and help her. Victoria, make sure Dylan is ok and then you two take the younger ones upstairs. The adults need to have a discussion.”

Everyone did as they were told. Stiles called Deaton. “Alan, we need you to come over, there’s been a situation.”

* * *

 

Tyler closed the door and James out Grace down on the bed. They finally got her to stop crying. They asked her what happened and she told them about the feeling she got and the urge to kill Sabrina and the sudden loss of control. They were there for the rest.

“Holy fucking shit Grace! I didn’t know you felt that way about him. That’s strong.” James said when she finished.

“Yeah,” she said. “Just as strong as the way you feel about Ty,” she blurted out, clasping her hand over her mouth when she realized what she’d just said. James gasped and Tyler turned to look at him.

“The way you feel about me?”

* * *

 

Dylan and Victoria took the younger kids and put them in their rooms. Sarah Jonathan took Lena and stayed with her. Maria, Christopher and Liam kept busy by doing some homework and studying for the PSATs and gossiping about classmates and doing whatever it is that tenth graders do.

Victoria took Dylan to the bathroom to take a closer look. “That was something,” she said. “I didn’t expect that.” She look at his neck more good measure just in case, but they both knew he was fine because of his wolf healing.

He just nodded and tried to process what the hell just happened. 

* * *

Grace looked at James and mouthed ‘sorry!’ to him. He was still speechless.

“How do you feel about me, James?”

“I… I…” he sighed. He might as well just say it. Or show it. He took a deep breath and surged forward, pulling Tyler into a passionate kiss. Tyler was startled at first and James was tempted to pull away, but Tyler kissed back with enthusiasm. The kiss quickly turned heated and both boys began moaning each other’s names. Grace slipped out of the room and walked down the hall into the library. She heard some muffled growling and kissing so she slammed the door and engrossed herself in a book. 

* * *

 

Deaton arrive ten minutes later. Stiles gathered everyone into the living room. He recited a spell that soundproofed the room so the teens couldn’t hear anything. Stiles then filled Deaton in on what happened.

Derek spoke up first. “What the hell is going on? What happened with her? Grace has magic?”

Deaton nodded. “Yes, that would seem to be the case. Grace does have magic.”

“Wait, I thought it was hereditary.” Isaac asked clutching his husband’s hand, worried about their daughter. The pack all nodded in agreement, remembering this lecture from twenty-five years ago.

“I thought so, too.” Deaton said. He sighed. “I guess it for her it was the second way as well.”

“What?” This time it was Allison who asked. 

“Well, even if magic is genetic, something has to trigger it. Stiles’ magic was awakened because of his time with the pack. It first presented itself when confronted with danger all those years ago when he was kidnapped by Alpha Bentley. 

The adults all shifted, remembering that day with the crazed wolf and nervously awaiting a further explanation. If Danny hadn’t been a werewolf, Isaac’s grip on his hand would’ve broken it.

“Stiles did have the magic gene, you must in order to practice. However, he is also the mate of the Alpha. Though he is human, his urge to protect the pack and care for them and provide for them is strong. So is his need to prove to his mate, the Alpha, that he can do so. That includes being able to defend himself as well. He also wants to hurt anyone who hurts his pack or tries to, how should I say, put the moves on Derek.”

They other laughed at this because it was _so_ true. 

“Yes, you explained all that to us 25 years ago.What does this have to do with Grace?” Isaac asked.

“What were you doing right before Grace had her episode?” Deaton asked.

 “They were all training and I was getting ready for my own training session with Grace.”

“Anything else?” 

“Uh, not really, just Dylan came down the stairs talking on the phone with Sabrina and going on about how wonderful she was. Honestly, he sounded like Scott used to about Allison.”

“Hey!” Scott said, pretending to feel offended.

“There!” Deaton exclaimed, startling the pack. He was never one to show too much emotion. “Right there, that is your answer.” The pack just looked stunned. Their faces all giving him dumbfounded expressions, the universal sign for ‘explain because we have no idea what is going on.’

“That phone conversation and what Dylan said about Sabrina triggered it. She doesn’t like Sabrina, none of you do I’m guessing. I barely see Grace and I know that she’s in love with Dylan.” The adults nodded their heads and chuckled a little at the overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

“Grace got angry when Dylan looked straight at her and talked up another girl, especially Sabrina. She saw that as a rejection and most likely felt an urge to kill Sabrina, but focused that hate towards the first person she saw, Dylan, and that’s why she choked him. She wanted to show Dylan that she could provide for the pack and take care of them so he would take her. Her magic was triggered because she perceived Sabrina as a threat, and therefore reacted the same way as Stiles did years ago. She wanted to eliminate the threat and protect the pack to prove her worthiness to her mate, the Alpha. 

“What are you saying? Are you saying that…” Scott piped in.

“Grace is the Alpha’s mate. She is Dylan’s mate.”

* * *

 

**PRESENT DAY**

Johnny whistled loudly.

"Wow, mates, that's a huge deal Grace," Henry said almost in awe. 

"But if Dylan was your mate, then why aren't you together?" Wyatt asked.

Johnny tried to shush him, saying "dude, do not ask that question!" Since he was a born wolf, he understood the implications of not being with your mate more than the others. 

Grace smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "It's okay, I'll tell you guys everything. It's time you know why I left my pack and threw 3000 miles for school."

Grace readied herself, knowing that she'd half to talk about Joseph and her Uncle Boyd's death. It was going to be painful, but she looked at the faces staring right back at her and she took a deep breath. "It sort of happened because of an invitation..."

 

 


	1. Keeping up with the Stilinski-Hales

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace heads to practice and discovers something.  
> Stiles consults Deaton, and then Deaton tells the adults some not-so shocking news.  
> And a beginning for one couple.

**PRESENT DAY**

Haley and Grace sat in silence for a few moment, and even the guys had tuned in to the conversation. Nobody spoke until Johnny asked, "So what happened next?"

Normally Grace wouldn't have been so open about her personal life, but she had known this raggedy bunch since freshman year when their dorms were next to each other on the third floor of their house. Wyatt had told everyone about his dad's drug addiction, Johnny had opened up about his brother's death, Henry, the quiet one of the group had even had his fair share of stories and Haley as well. And once in freshman year Johnny had accidentally wolfed out and almost killed everyone until Grace was able to calm him down. Then Henry was almost killed in a car accident, and was turned by Johnny's Alpha, his mother, and so the whole werewolf thing ended up being a pretty big secret that Grace no longer had to keep. Haley and Wyatt had taken the reveal as well as could be expected, and even Henry was able to adjust to being a werewolf and now their all living together under one roof in senior housing. 

They'd come a long way, and Grace trusted them with her life. So, she continued the story. 

* * *

 

**FOUR YEARS AGO**

The next day all anybody could talk about was James and Grace being the new power couple. It was irritating at first, but the two quickly adopted it. Maybe now Grace could go on a double date with Dylan and Sabrina. James also didn’t have to worry to much about keeping his secret because nobody had a problem believing that he loved Grace. It was just more of best friend in the world kind of love, but werewolves couldn’t tell the difference. Dylan was the only one in the pack who believed them even for a second. The adults laughed when they heard the news, reminiscing about how much it sounded like when her Uncle Stiles liked her Uncle Derek, but he didn’t know, but everybody else did. No matter, though. They were ok because everyone at school believed them.

* * *

It was Friday, which meant pack weekend. The Pack would spend Friday afternoon training and then the weekend together. Saturday and Sunday the teens would do whatever they wanted; go shopping, go to the movies, go on dates, whatever, and then at night they came back to the Hale house. The entire Pack spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights sleeping at the Hale house. The teens the entire next week off from school due to the earthquake that ravaged a huge part of California the night before.

Grace came home from school quickly to drop off a few things before headed to training. She stopped in the kitchen and found her Abba eating a sandwich. “Hey, Champ,” he said and smiled her.

“Hey Abba,” she replied.

“You just stopping by?” he asked.

“Yeah, just getting a few things before heading over the Uncle Stiles for training.”

“Great. I’m just waiting for your father. He’s upstairs in the shower and your brothers already at the House. We’ll meet you there.”

Huh, she hadn’t realized the shower had been running until now. If Stiles were here, he would’ve swatted her on the head for not being aware of her surroundings. 

“Ok. Bye Abba. Love you.” Grace said and kissed her dad goodbye. 

She arrived at the Hale house. A House that she hoped she would someday live in with Dylan and their children and the pack grandkids… 

“Grace!” She heard a familiar voice call. She looked up and found her Uncle Stiles smiling and motioning for her to come over.

She met him inside the living room. He was cleaning some things up.

 “One second, sweetheart.” She liked it when he called her that. He called all the children in the pack ‘hon’, but he called Grace and Dylan and Liam sweetheart. He called Uncle Derek some names too, but she wasn’t allowed to repeat those in public. Stiles closed his eyes, concentrated and snapped his fingers and just like that all the objects and papers were gone from the table in front of him. 

“Now, let’s get started, shall we.” He perked up and sat down in his big chair. However, just as they were about to start, Dylan came down the stairs on the phone with Sabrina. “Love you more! No, I do. Ok, I gotta go. See ya, babe.” He hung up and look up from his phone. “Grace, hey!” He said and smiled. 

She simply waved at him. “God, I’m so lucky. Sabrina is such a great girl.” Grace had heard Dylan talk about Sabrina hundreds of times and she never let it get to her. This time was different. This time she felt this feeling deep in her gut that was telling her to kill Sabrina and show Dylan what a true girlfriend was like. She needed to prove to him that she was better than Sabrina.

 _He sees in me what he doesn’t see in you_. Without warning, Grace’s eyes turned white and the ground began to shake. The wolves all stood up immediately and Derek was just about to rush to Stiles’ side when he shouted, “No! No, everything is ok. This happened to me when I was discovering my magic. I didn’t know she had magic. How is that possible? I though it was genetic.”

Genetic? Her Parents had magic… Magic? She didn’t have magic. Not like Uncle Stiles did. She could hear Stiles explaining to the pack what was going on.

“She just needs to calm down. I think I know what triggered it, but she needs to settle down and all of you moving with werewolf speed will only make her worse.”

 Dylan was still stunned by what was happening, but also confused. “Whoa there Grace, calm down. What’s gotten into you?” He knew he shouldn’t be saying that, but damn his Stilinski talking genes! 

Grace became furious. _He sees in me what he doesn’t see in you._  First this Sabrina talk and now _she_ was the one who needed fixing. That was the last straw. She focused on him and he began to choke. She knew she was doing it, choking him with, for the lack of a better term, the force.

“Grace stop!” Stiles yelled. “Stop, you’re hurting him!”

She stopped. She had hurt him. The look on his face said it all. She had hurt her the wolf she was so in love with. Now he would never love her and she would be alone and she won’t live in the Hale house with her children.

Her Dads rushed to her side as she broke down crying in their arms. The whole pack was stunned. Little Lena asked her mom what happened. “I don’t know, sweetie. I don’t know.”

Stiles spoke in his Alpha-Mate voice: “Tyler and James, take your sister upstairs and help her. Victoria, make sure Dylan is ok and then you two take the younger ones upstairs. The adults need to have a discussion.”

Everyone did as they were told. Stiles called Deaton. “Alan, we need you to come over, there’s been a situation.”

* * *

 

Tyler closed the door and James out Grace down on the bed. They finally got her to stop crying. They asked her what happened and she told them about the feeling she got and the urge to kill Sabrina and the sudden loss of control. They were there for the rest.

“Holy fucking shit Grace! I didn’t know you felt that way about him. That’s strong.” James said when she finished.

“Yeah,” she said. “Just as strong as the way you feel about Ty,” she blurted out, clasping her hand over her mouth when she realized what she’d just said. James gasped and Tyler turned to look at him.

“The way you feel about me?”

* * *

 

Dylan and Victoria took the younger kids and put them in their rooms. Sarah Jonathan took Lena and stayed with her. Maria, Christopher and Liam kept busy by doing some homework and studying for the PSATs and gossiping about classmates and doing whatever it is that tenth graders do.

Victoria took Dylan to the bathroom to take a closer look. “That was something,” she said. “I didn’t expect that.” She look at his neck more good measure just in case, but they both knew he was fine because of his wolf healing.

He just nodded and tried to process what the hell just happened. 

* * *

Grace looked at James and mouthed ‘sorry!’ to him. He was still speechless.

“How do you feel about me, James?”

“I… I…” he sighed. He might as well just say it. Or show it. He took a deep breath and surged forward, pulling Tyler into a passionate kiss. Tyler was startled at first and James was tempted to pull away, but Tyler kissed back with enthusiasm. The kiss quickly turned heated and both boys began moaning each other’s names. Grace slipped out of the room and walked down the hall into the library. She heard some muffled growling and kissing so she slammed the door and engrossed herself in a book. 

* * *

 

Deaton arrive ten minutes later. Stiles gathered everyone into the living room. He recited a spell that soundproofed the room so the teens couldn’t hear anything. Stiles then filled Deaton in on what happened.

Derek spoke up first. “What the hell is going on? What happened with her? Grace has magic?”

Deaton nodded. “Yes, that would seem to be the case. Grace does have magic.”

“Wait, I thought it was hereditary.” Isaac asked clutching his husband’s hand, worried about their daughter. The pack all nodded in agreement, remembering this lecture from twenty-five years ago.

“I thought so, too.” Deaton said. He sighed. “I guess it for her it was the second way as well.”

“What?” This time it was Allison who asked. 

“Well, even if magic is genetic, something has to trigger it. Stiles’ magic was awakened because of his time with the pack. It first presented itself when confronted with danger all those years ago when he was kidnapped by Alpha Bentley. 

The adults all shifted, remembering that day with the crazed wolf and nervously awaiting a further explanation. If Danny hadn’t been a werewolf, Isaac’s grip on his hand would’ve broken it.

“Stiles did have the magic gene, you must in order to practice. However, he is also the mate of the Alpha. Though he is human, his urge to protect the pack and care for them and provide for them is strong. So is his need to prove to his mate, the Alpha, that he can do so. That includes being able to defend himself as well. He also wants to hurt anyone who hurts his pack or tries to, how should I say, put the moves on Derek.”

They other laughed at this because it was _so_ true. 

“Yes, you explained all that to us 25 years ago.What does this have to do with Grace?” Isaac asked.

“What were you doing right before Grace had her episode?” Deaton asked.

 “They were all training and I was getting ready for my own training session with Grace.”

“Anything else?” 

“Uh, not really, just Dylan came down the stairs talking on the phone with Sabrina and going on about how wonderful she was. Honestly, he sounded like Scott used to about Allison.”

“Hey!” Scott said, pretending to feel offended.

“There!” Deaton exclaimed, startling the pack. He was never one to show too much emotion. “Right there, that is your answer.” The pack just looked stunned. Their faces all giving him dumbfounded expressions, the universal sign for ‘explain because we have no idea what is going on.’

“That phone conversation and what Dylan said about Sabrina triggered it. She doesn’t like Sabrina, none of you do I’m guessing. I barely see Grace and I know that she’s in love with Dylan.” The adults nodded their heads and chuckled a little at the overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

“Grace got angry when Dylan looked straight at her and talked up another girl, especially Sabrina. She saw that as a rejection and most likely felt an urge to kill Sabrina, but focused that hate towards the first person she saw, Dylan, and that’s why she choked him. She wanted to show Dylan that she could provide for the pack and take care of them so he would take her. Her magic was triggered because she perceived Sabrina as a threat, and therefore reacted the same way as Stiles did years ago. She wanted to eliminate the threat and protect the pack to prove her worthiness to her mate, the Alpha. 

“What are you saying? Are you saying that…” Scott piped in.

“Grace is the Alpha’s mate. She is Dylan’s mate.”

* * *

 

**PRESENT DAY**

Johnny whistled loudly.

"Wow, mates, that's a huge deal Grace," Henry said almost in awe. 

"But if Dylan was your mate, then why aren't you together?" Wyatt asked.

Johnny tried to shush him, saying "dude, do not ask that question!" Since he was a born wolf, he understood the implications of not being with your mate more than the others. 

Grace smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "It's okay, I'll tell you guys everything. It's time you know why I left my pack and threw 3000 miles for school."

Grace readied herself, knowing that she'd half to talk about Joseph and her Uncle Boyd's death. It was going to be painful, but she looked at the faces staring right back at her and she took a deep breath. "It sort of happened because of an invitation..."

 

 


	3. You are Hereby Cordially Invited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The adults deal with the Dylan/Grace news. Deaton gives a history lesson.  
> James and Tyler come out to the Pack.  
> The Hale pack receives an invitation.  
> Grace gets an admirer.  
> Hilarity ensues whilst shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gotten really nice comment so far so thank you!! Enjoy! :)
> 
> Note: Click on the sentence describing the dress to see what it looks like.

**FOUR YEARS AGO**

Deaton finished his explanation. "I want to say I'm surprised, but that actually explains a lot." Stiles said. The others agreed. When the teens were just toddlers and the adults were twenty-somethings trying to parent their hyperactive behinds, Dylan and Grace were close. They would sit together outside or run around. They were together when Dylan first shifted.

Young werewolves, until they're about three weeks old, stay in a state of fur and fangs and little werewolf ears. Then, they turn human again. They maintain all the werewolf powers like smell and healing and hearing but do not shift into beta form until about the age of 5.

One day, the pack kids were playing outside. Grace and Dylan were climbing a tree, or attempting to, seeing how they were only five. They got the hang of it and scaled the tree in no time, but on one of the higher branches Dylan slipped and fell, taking Grace down with him. The adults looked over to the two toddlers as Stiles rushed to their side, Derek staying behind to watch four-year old Liam.

When he got there, Dylan was sitting, nay, crouching against the base of the tree in a protective stance, shifted in beta form. It was the first time since his birth that he willingly shifted. Underneath him was Grace, crying and screaming about her arm. However, when Stiles reached to retrieve Grace, Dylan growled at him— a warning to stay away. Stiles pulled back, a little surprised at the display of protection from his son. (He may have been the next Alpha but he was still five.)

"Dylan," Grace croaked when she had stopped crying. Despite being a child and never having her friends shift before, Grace remained perfectly calm while she talked to the wolfed-out Dylan. "Uncle Sty need to help. I wanna be ok. Daddy says Sty is the magic man! Let him help." Dylan turned to look at his friend lying on the ground still clutching her arm.

With their super hearing, the entire pack was eavesdropping, even though they were seated at the table. Derek was about to get up and force Dylan to leave with his Alpha voice, but stopped he saw what Grace was doing. When Grace told Dylan she needed help he let out a whine of protest, but she took her good arm and placed her hand on his face the way a wife would her husband—loving and gentle. "Stop." She said with a seriousness not possessed by many little children. Dylan shifted back, but refused to move. "Please." She said still caressing his face. Dylan backed away and Stiles picked the little girl up. She spent the night at the hospital with a broken arm and concussion.

Dylan stayed by her side the entire night.

* * *

“I remember that. It really does all make sense.” Derek chuckled as he recalled the memory.

"If Grace has the magic gene do you know which one of us it came from?" Danny asked Deaton, recalling what he learned about magic. 

"Actually, Grace is part of an extremely rare phenomenon where both parents carry the magic gene and pass it on to their child."

"Really?" Danny asked, surprised.

This time Deaton addressed all the adults. "Yes," he said. "I tested all the children's blood when they were born just in case. I was looking for genes they might carry that could pass on to their children, since they are all werewolves and cannot practice magic themselves. However, when Grace wa born i took special interest in the even that she might present an ability for magic. Her test came back positive, but from both sides of her family. I did a little digging into both Danny and Isaac's geneology and found very interesting facts. They both are descendants of various magic families and have passed the gene onto Grace."

Danny and Isaac looked at each other in shock. The rest of the pack mirrored their reaction. 

Sensing this, Derek asked one final question, effectively changing the subject. "So, what do we do about this? Do we tell our children?" He asked his pack, but kept his gaze on Isaac and Danny, who were still looking at each other confused. 

Deaton cut in. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. Deep down Grace knows about her relationship to Dylan, but if you tell her it might upset her even more the fact that her _mate_ is refusing her for someone else and cause her to lose control of her magic and hurt more people involuntarily. It would be best, Stiles, If you teach her how to control her magic until she’s ready, bcause the best way to help her magic is to be around her mate, but as we know, that's not going to happen anytime soon. In the meantime, Isaac and Danny, you need to keep being supportive. I suppose Grace tells Tyler or James everything so you need to help them in dealing with her. The rest of you, just act as if nothing has changed. That last thing Grace needs right now is to feel like everyone fears her and thinks she’s a freak. When they’re ready, you know where to find me.”

The pack agreed with Deaton to keep everything a secret.  He left to go close up shop for the night. Stiles unsealed the room and Derek called the kids down. The younger ones came down first and ran to the kitchen claiming they were hungry. The middle children came down and went to help at their parents’ insistence.

Grace came down followed by Dylan. There was an awkward silence between them, interrupted when Tyler and James came down the stairs together. The adults looked up and sniffed the room. Danny began to chuckle as Jackson let out a horrific noise. The Pack tried to teach their kids about werewolf sex in a very open way so as not to overwhlem them, but sometimes, though they were adults, they acted like kids, so it was no surprise when Lydia said,

“Son, Tyler, I love you guys both very much, but did you honestly think that your parents wouldn’t be able to tell that you just fucked each other upstairs?” Lydia asked in a very unhappy tone. The two boys tensed. _Leave it to Lydia to make things uncomfortable._

“Look, boys, all we care about is that you’re happy and safe, and frankly, I smell mates all over you two so I know you’re both things.” Isaac said with a kinder tone. He was trying to defuse the situation. 

“Who topped?” Danny asked in a joking manner. No seriously, though, he wasn’t joking.

"Dad!" Tyler yelled, blushing furiously.

“I did,” James answered kind of embarrassed.

“THAT’S MY BOY!” Jackson exclaimed. 

* * *

 

The pack settled down that night, still dealing with all the things that happened. Eventually, though they all went to bed in their respective rooms (except Tyler and James, cause _hello_ , can anyone say ’sex smell?’)

They woke up to a beautiful morning. They all gathered for breakfast and made small talk, nobody daring to say a word about yesterday. Grace went to check the mail and came back with a black envelope with red writing and a large package. She gave the letter to Derek and he read the front. “Well, it’s addressed to the entire pack.” He opened it up. It was an invitation.

_To Alpha Hale and his Pack,_

_You are hereby cordially invited to attend_

_**The New Moon Ball** _

_At 7pm at the Morgan House_

_Your attendance is greatly appreciated,_

_-Matthew Morgan_

 

Derek stopped when he saw the other little note attached to the letter. "The box, it’s… a package. A dress.”

Lydia, always eager to see new clothes, ordered Jackson to open it with his claws. She took the letter on top and read it aloud:

_To Grace,_

_I’ve heard much about you and your beauty and your cunning and wit and must get to know you. Will you let me escort you to my family’s ball? In here is a gift for you._

_Until then,_

_Jacob Ephraim Morgan_

“Oh my God,” Grace said as she looked at the dress in the box. [It looked floor length and was red with a sweetheart neckline.](http://www.stylishtrendy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Vera-Wang-Wedding-Dresses-2013-Spring-Collection-02.jpg) It was a ball gown for sure. The pack was in awe. It was an honor to be the companion of a member of the host family, let alone the next Alpha.

Everyone stared at her. _Oh, right, I  have to accept the offer. Uh, HELL YES!_ She heard giggles and snickers from the others, and she realized she said that aloud _._ The pack heard soft growling. It was coming from Dylan who looked like he was in pain. He stopped when the others looked at him and blushed and the attention.“Well, you already have your dress, but we need our. You know what this means… Shopping trip!” Lydia was excited and some of the other girls loved an excuse to buy new clothes.

The men all stared at each other.

“Alright, you heard the woman! Shopping! Let’s go, get your jackets, we’re heading out.” Stiles said, already putting on his coat and shoes.

Derek groaned. He turned to his pack. “Alright, boys, listen up. We are about to go on a dangerous mission that will make you men: tuxedo shopping.” Scott and Boyd chuckled softly, Jackson smirked, and Isaac and Danny smiled. This was certainly going to be interesting.

Lydia pulled Erica and Allison and their daughters along with them. The women packed into two cars and the men in three more and they entire caravan headed off to the mall (at Lydia’s insisting) in Oak Ridge. 

* * *

**PRESENT DAY**

The timer went off and Grace took the lasagna out and served it on their nice plates. Every sat down and took out the wine, now finally being allowed to legally drink. It was also laced with wolfsbane, good for the werewolves in the house. Everyone took their first bites before imploring grace to continue with the story.

"But wait, hold on a second Grace," Johnny said before she could keep going. "You got a personal invitation from a member of the Morgan pack. Wait, no, THE Joseph Morgan, Alpha heir the Morgan pack?" Johnny's eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of his head. 

"Uh, yeah, Joseph is a really nice guy. We still keep in touch actually," Grace said and casually took another bite of lasagna. 

"Who are the Morgans?" Haley asked having only heard Grace mention them in passing. 

"They're like the second most powerful pack in California," Henry began, showing off his knowledge of werewolf history and pack territory. "Their alpha has allies all across the country and even around the world. He's got one of the most extensive collections of bestiaries and herbs anywhere. The Morgan pack is only rivaled by what most people consider to be THE pack of California, the Hale pack. Now they are awesome. Alpha Hale has taken down hundreds of foes and they have two witches and a Banshee and a hunter and allies with law enforcement, which is genius. They're like the most well run, most well organized pack, like, ever!" Henry said. He suddenly remember Grace's origins and blushed when he saw her laughing in amusement.

"Wow, Henry, I'll have to tell my godfather what you said, He'd be thrilled you think so highly of the way he runs his pack," Grace said and tried to stop her laughter.

"No, but seriously, now you understand why I was shocked and honored, but not intimated. I didn't think much of it because we were a strong pack of our own.Anyway, back to the story... where was I?"

* * *

 

**FOUR YEARS AGO**

They got to the mall and the men and women split up. The tuxedo shop was huge and had so many crazy selections; Derek even saw a bright pink suit form the corner of his eye. The older boys were allowed expensive suits, but Jonathan got a slightly cheaper one, seeing as how he would likely grow out of it very soon. The ball was formal, and even though the men still all had their wedding suits, they bought new ones. Simple, two piece, black pants, black jacket and crisp, white shirt. And of course, who could forget the tie. Stiles suggested maybe wearing bowties, but after seeing Derek with a tie, Stiles got ideas.

When Derek came out of the dressing room, Stiles mouth dropped. Sure, Derek had been wearing a tux at their wedding, and he wears formal clothes when he goes to the office (CFO of Beacon National Bank), but it was a long time since Stiles had seen his husband all dressed up and looking, well, delectable. He just wanted to get all up in that and climb him like a tree. I mean, seriously, the way the suit hugged his ass, and his broad shoulders…

“Like what you see, babe?” Derek smirked.

“Absolutely.”

* * *

“I always had feeling about Ty and James, you know. I totally called it when they were like nine.” Danny said from inside the dressing room.

“You always call everything!” Isaac laughed from where he was sitting. 

“Abba’s right, dad.” Tyler said from his own room.

“Come, on babe, hurry up. I already finished. You too, Tyler. He gets this from you, you know! The Mahealani family and your incredible talent for taking forever.” 

“Well sorry I wanted to impress my husband.” Danny said. He came out looking fucking fantastic like he always does. Danny took his husband and pulled him into a hold and began dancing.

“What are you doing,” Isaac asked, laughing as he swayed clumsily along to the imaginary music. 

“Speaking of practice,” Tyler said, coming out of the dressing room dressed to perfection. “I really wanna dance with James at the ball, but I suck at the waltz.”

* * *

“You want to learn how to dance?” Jackson asked his son.

“Of course dad,” James said standing with Jackson fixed his tie. “I know Tyler is going to want to dance with me and I don’t really know how.” He was nervous and shaking slightly with anticipation for the dance.

Jackson couldn’t help but chuckle. His son was just so much like him. He wanted to be perfect and make his mate happy so much that he was literally about to piss himself. He tried to calm him down. “Don’t worry son, it will be ok. You know how much Ty loves you.”

He son deflated, the anxiety pouring out of him. “Yeah, I guess, but what if…?

Jackson groaned. _God, I hope Boyd is having better luck than I am,_ Jackson thought.

* * *

Boyd was the only one in the group who didn’t have a son. He didn’t mind much and he usually didn’t think about it, but it was times like these when he wished that he had one to share these moments with. All the adults were paying more attention to their eldest, so Boyd made sure that the younger ones didn’t feel left out.

Liam had been growing apart from his parents a little and felt left out. Boyd offered to help him find a suit so that Stiles and Derek could deal with Dylan and the whole mate crisis.

Which is why he was currently listening to the youngest hale singing Grace Mahealani’s praises. Emotions and crushes weren’t exactly his forte. Just like (he couldn’t believe he was actually comparing them, but hey), just like Scott, Erica had been the only girl for him. Love at first training session.

Seriously though, it was awkward considering he new about Dylan and Grace.

However, all of the sudden, Liam switched. He started talking about Grace and how she was perfect because she could introduce him to this other girl named Caroline. Wait a minute, Caroline? Why did that name sound so familiar? Oh yeah, that’s because she was Grace’s friend from the swim team. She was her second in command for the girls half and sometime even helped be in charge of the guys. Wait, that meant she was senior. Which meant she was older.

Which meant, _Holy **Fucking** God_ , Derek was going to have an aneurism. 

* * *

Over at the other end of the store (and Jesus, how many dressing rooms were there?) Scott was helping Jonathan with his jacket and Christopher smoothed out his hair in the mirror. “Son, your hair is fine. Nobody is gonna see right now.”

“No way Dad,” he said. “I’m just practicing. I have to look my best for the girls who are gonna be at that dance. I mean, jeez, do I even look okay?” Scott just stared at his son in shock. He was just like Jackson when they were juniors. He might have to talk to Allison about a paternity test.

“And like, why is it called the new moon ball?” Christopher asked.

On second thought…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The awkward sex talk scene would probably never happen in real life. Hopefully no parent would embarrass their child in front of a room full of people, but i wanted to make the pack a little different than most familes when it came to sex.
> 
> Also, I'm having serious Boyd feels right now. Like, his awesomeness is silent but deadly. I like the idea of the youngest Hale looking up to his calm and collected nature.


	4. Those Summer Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The New Moon Ball.  
> After the Ball, the Pack is shocked when a new Alpha emerges... but not in the way they expected.  
> The pack has an awkward breakfast and it's Derek to the rescue!  
> Dylan comes to an important realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sheesh. There has to be some major conflict that needs to be resolved.  
> There's a part here where Derek is just being awesome. Having Derek feels right now!!!!

**FOUR YEARS AGO**

The Men returned home from the mall hours before the Women. The Ball was the next night and nobody slept, the kids filled with excitement and anticipation— even the adults were excited.

The next morning Derek woke up to find his entire pack in frenzy. There were suits and ties everywhere and make up bags and shoe boxes strewn about. Apparently everyone decided that the living room would be a good place to get dressed. It took a total of eight hours, but in a flurry of excitement filled with chiffon and silk and dress shoes, the Pack managed to get ready and stuff into their cars and head off to the Ball. (However, they forgot their coats and had to turn back to grab them. Then they drove off to the Ball for real.) 

They reached the house and stared in awe. There weren’t looking at a house, they were looking at a castle. A real life, modern day castle with towers and everything. The pack shuffled out of the car, their eyes locked on the house. When the approached the door, a butler (actually, one of many) greeted them and directed them down the hall to the staircase.

“You are the Hale pack, correct?” The butler asked.

“Yes,” Derek replied.

“Good, that makes everyone. I will take your coats now.” He said and motioned for them to put their coats on the chair in the corner (that totally appeared out of nowhere, whoa).

The did as they were told, but as Grace was taking off her coat, the butler said, “You must be Miss Mahealani.”

“Yes, I am.”

“If it is alright with you, your pack will be announced first and then you to follow so as to show that you are the companion of Master Morgan.” The butler explained politely.

Grace paused, coat still half on, and looked to her parents, who nodded, and then to Derek, who did the same. “Uh, ok.” She replied nervously.

“Brilliant.” He said and smiled.

The butler over by the staircase (jeez, everything in this house seems to be coming out of nowhere) herded the pack over to him. The pack turned and looked down the stairs to see what looked to be hundreds of guests from at least a dozen packs all standing around conversing with each other.

“Alpha Derek Hale and the Hale pack from Beacon Hills.” The butler announced loudly, so that everybody in the ballroom turned up to see the pack. They descended down the stairs and were greeted by Alpha Morgan.

“Hello, I’m Alpha Morgan but you can call me Matthew. It’s nice to meet you.” Morgan had a strong build, not muscly, but big. He had gray hairs mixed with his own brown and light brown eyes and he was about Derek’s height. 

Derek looked embarrassed and a little uncomfortable. The again, he never really was good at socializing. “You’ve just met Derek and I’m Stiles, his husband and mate.” Stiles said, taking attention away from Derek. 

The Alpha nodded. “Here, come meet my family,” Morgan said and motioned for some people standing beside him to come forward. There was a blond woman, with two children, a boy and a girl both with blond hair and brown eyes.

“Hello, I’m Jennifer, his wife,” the blond woman, Jennifer said. “These are our two youngest children, Deidre and Carlton,” gesturing to the girl and boy respectively.

“Yes, and my eldest is around here somewhere… ah!” He exclaimed and a young man with light brown hair and brown eyes came over.

 “This is my eldest, the next leader of my pack, Joseph.” He said proudly.

Derek motioned for his own eldest to come forward. “This my eldest, Dylan.” He said with his own hint of pride.

The two young men shook hands, but turned there attention to the stairs soon after, and the rest of the ballroom had as well. The butler was there, ready to announce Grace’s arrival no doubt. And right on cue the butler exclaimed,

“Ladies and Gentlemen, It is my honor to announce Alpha Joseph Morgan’s companion for the evening, Miss Noelani Grace Mahealani from the Hale Pack of Beacon Hills.”

He turned and moved out of the way as the guests in the ballroom were in awe. Grace was standing at the top of the stairs in the red dress she was presented as a gift. She smiled nervously and began her descent down the stairs. She looked around at the crowd, all staring at her and felt her chest tighten and throat dry up, but she caught sight of her parents, staring at her with pride and affection in their eyes, and regained her composure. She reached the bottom and made her way over towards her pack.

She walked over to greet her date for the evening. “Hi,” she began. “I’m Noelani, but I prefer to be called Grace. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She said, smiling, and extended her hand to shake, hoping he couldn’t smell her nervousness. 

“Well, _Grace,_ I’m Joseph. And may I say,” he said taking her hand and bringing it up to his lips. “The pleasure is all mine.” He said and kissed her hand. Grace blushed, unused to this intimate of a greeting. 

“Shall we dance?” Joseph asked as he released her hand and held out his arm.

“Of course.” She replied and he took her arm in his own and escorted her to the center of the ballroom. 

The couple took the first dance, and the other couples soon joined them, until the dance floor was filled with twirling dresses and shiny black shoes. Derek snorted softly at the cliché and not to mention corny line the Joseph had just greeted Grace with, and the rest of the Pack shared in his sentiments— trying to muffle their collective laughter. 

When Joseph tried to engage her in conversation, Grace insisted that they go outside, so that they didn’t have to worry about werewolf super-hearing intruding on their conversation. He took her to the garden that was straight out of a Disney fairytale. Seriously, it was like the scene from Cinderella, except with witches and werewolves (ha, like Grimm intended it to be).

 They were silent for a while, merely walking along a path through some trees filled with lovely flowers. “Why did you pick me?” she asked suddenly, slightly accusatory.

“Well, my sister, Deidre, loves to swim. She wants to be a swimmer when she grows up. She was talking about this amazing high school swimmer who was gonna be state champ. I looked her up and there was a picture of you.” She didn’t know why, but Grace started blushing furiously.

“I started following your swim meets. I also saw an interview with you a couple months ago.”

“What about you? What’s your story?”

“Well, I was born and raised here. My dad, who you saw briefly, was always a hard-ass growing up. He would constantly tell me that as the next Alpha, it was my duty to be a leader and to set examples for the younger kids. Needless to say I was a very rebellious kid. I still am.” Grace laughed softly, but despite her attempt at control, she blurted out, “So what’s up with your parents?” Grace quickly clasped her hand over her mouthed and looked at the ground. “I’m so sorry,” she muttered through her hand. 

Joseph only smiled. “It’s okay. It is a fair question— one that I get asked a lot. Anyway, years ago, my father met my mother, Annabeth. He loved her so much— she was human. They were young and in love and then one day she told my father she was pregnant. A few months later I was born.” He paused for moment and looked at the ground.

 “When I was five years old my mother and I got into a car accident. Being a werewolf, I healed, but mom sustained too many injuries and died at the hospital. Dad was devastated. For weeks, he wouldn’t sleep or talk to anyone. He would just train and eat and then train some more. He was spiraling until he met my stepmom, Jennifer. Jennifer is his mate. My mom wasn’t, but dad still loved her passionately. My father decided that I was to become the next Alpha, even though it is customary to have the child of you and your mate take on that role. Jennifer was furious when Deidre and Carlton were born and my dad still declared me next in line. She is still a little angry for that.”

“Oh,” was all Grace said. Suddenly, she felt tension in the air; a stiff unwavering wall of seriousness that pervaded over all. She interrupted it by suggesting they dance. They moved onto a cut stretch of the garden and waltzed about, the only sound coming from the faint music that they could hear from the ballroom. It was nice, just dancing and feeling free. They danced for what felt like days.

The music picked up a little and both the teens let loose a little. The danced like crazy people, with flailing limbs and hair flying everywhere. When the music slowed down again, they regained their composure and danced to the slow rhythm. They danced in silence; the only noise was the beating of their hearts.

A little while later, Joseph lifted his head as if listening to someone. “They’re calling us back.” He said. They had completely lost track of time and Grace hadn’t realized how late it was.  He took her arm in his once more and led her back to the rest of the party. “I want to see you again,” he said as the reached the final steps leading into the ballroom.

“Okay,” Grace said and nodded lightly. Before she could respond, somebody called out.

“Grace, we’re heading back! It’s time to go!” She heard Uncle Derek calling from the Grand Staircase. The couple made their way over to wear the Hale and Morgan packs were saying their goodbyes. She said farewell and made her way up the staircase. As she was about halfway, she turned and ran back down to meet Joseph.

She kissed him sweetly on the cheek. Joseph was looking at her with a shocked and happy expression on his face. “I have a meet three days from now at Riverside Academy. Be there.” And with that, she ran back up the staircase, ignoring the smug looks she got from the rest of the pack.

That night as she was getting ready for bed, James and Victoria came into her room demanding to know what happened. She recounted the night and when she was done they all fell asleep on top of each other on Grace’s bed. 

* * *

 

She woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon. She could faintly hear the various pack members making their way down in a steady stream of yawns ands coffee demands. James and Victoria were already downstairs. She came down the stairs with as much grace as Bigfoot in Munchkin land. She went to the counter and poured herself a large cup of coffee. 

Some of the adults were outside in the garden playing with Lena and Jonathan. She saw bodies passed out on the couch that looked like her brother and James. She heard other voices, but was too delirious to try and match the faces. The pulled out a stool from the counter and drank her coffee in silence. Uncle Derek was cooking breakfast, which was an unusual occurrence. “Did you have fun last night?” He asked, turning around the start the second round of bacon.

Grace couldn’t tell if he was trying to make an innuendo or honestly asking. She settled with, “Yeah, I had a great time. Joseph was really sweet.”

“Sweet, huh?” He said, smirking.

Oh, she definitely did not know how to respond to that…

Grace gasped. “Oh my god, Uncle Derek! Seriously? All we did was walk around the garden and dance and talk. Then I gave him a kiss and we left. That was all!” Derek just laughed and turned back to cooking the bacon. He finished and began frying up the eggs just how everybody ordered. The Pack went through ridiculous amounts of food, trying to accommodate more than a dozen werewolves, half of them being teenagers. They all gathered round the large table in the middle of the dining room. It was a tight squeeze, but nobody minded, having a naturally pack mentality for intimacy (really it was just a lack of respect for personal boundaries).

"So, Grace," James said. "You ready for Hallston? We gotta win so we can get that interview!"

Ugh. The Hallston Ivitational. Another thing she has to stress over now. "Yeah, I guess." She replied casually.

The Hallston Invitational was a very big deal. It was an invite-only meet, hand picked from across the country to compete. The swimmers were usually the best, but there were always some that were picked purely for publicity because they had a sob story or some high powered and influential family member. The Hallston family had donated a bunch of money to various California athletic programs so the named this meet after them. It was a prestigious honor to be invited to swim. 

“Mommy?” Lena said. “Are other people gonna see the interview?”

“If they win, honey.”

“Are Grace and James gonna be famous?”

“Maybe.” She replied tentatively, wanting to know why she was so interested. Her daughter always had some ulterior motive. 

“Awesome! I can go to school and show Jesse that Danny and Isaac isn’t gonna go to Hell like she said.”

Allison choked on the piece of bread she was eating. The rest of the pack fell silent. 

“Munchkin, what did she tell you?” Scott asked his daughter, trying to be gentle, but he was growling menacingly.

“We had family day last week. I brought in the picture from my birthday party when I was a baby. I was explaining everybody. I got to Uncle Isaac and Uncle Danny. Jesse… Jesse, she raised her hand and said that they were bad and gonna go to hell. I said that wasn’t possible ‘cause only bad people go there and Danny and Isaac aren’t bad. She said yes they were and it was only fair and God wants it. But I said that’s impossible ‘cause Uncle Stiles and Uncle Derek are the best people ever and they have to go to heaven ‘cause Stiles needs to see his mommy and so does Isaac and Uncle Derek has to see his family and it’s just… IT’S JUST NOT FAIR!!!” She screamed and burst into tears.

Allison tried to calm her down and Scott, well… Scott looked deadly. Isaac, Danny, Derek and Stiles weren’t too different. For a while, all you could hear was Lena crying and the five men growling dangerously. The rest of the pack just sat there, trying to understand what they had just heard. Sure, there had been plenty of assholes over the years that had a problem with the two relationships, hell even one who tried to kill Boyd because he married Erica. This, however, this was different. A little girl was indoctrinated with hateful ideas— and she was only 9. That young, and already she was spewing hatred and preaching homophobic ideas.

Breakfast quickly became awkward and uncomfortable for everyone. Everyone continued eating and once they were finished, they cleaned up and made there way to the living room. Lena jumped from her mother’s arms and ran over to Derek and jumped into his lap. He rubbed her back and tried to soothe her. “Uncle Derek, I love you.”

“I love you too, Lena.” Derek said and smiled. Even after all these years he was still amazed that he got to have a big family like he did. She was still pouting so Derek tried to cheer her up. “Hey Lena,” he said and she looked up from where she was snuggled against his chest. “We’re all going to be fine. You wanna know why?” He asked.

“Why?” She asked sadly.

“I’m the Alpha.” He said simply. It worked because she shifted to look at her parents and screamed,

“MOMMY! DADDY! Did you hear Uncle Derek? He’s gonna get all growly and growl with his red eyes and make everything ok!” She turned back to Derek and beamed up at him. Allison mouthed a ‘thank you’ to him and he replied with a ‘no problem’.  

* * *

**PRESENT DAY**

All five housemates rolled their eyes at the story. Henry huffed and reached out his hand to grab Wyatt's and placed their hands on the table, finger interlocked. Grace was surprised at the PDA, even if they were technically in the privacy of their own home. The pair had only been dating for eight months, with Henry being newly turned only six months ago after his accident. While Wyatt had grown up with accepting parents, Henry had not, and so even this far into their relationship Henry still had trouble sometimes showing his affection. Grace thought that him being turned might have helped that a little but, his wolf calling out to him to keep Wyatt safe and loved. 

It made Grace a little jealous sometimes, as she reminisced about what she almost had. 

"Anyway, the three days went by quickly— a little too fast for my comfort. We still had three days left of their break, but coach Finstock had made James and I come to school and practice anyway with the special permission he got from the school. We went to meet him at the school and talked to him before we drove up to Riverside, where the meet was being held...." 

**MEANWHILE (FOUR YEARS AGO)**

Dylan was seething. He sat in the dirt in the garden thinking over everything that was going on in his crazy mind.  He didn’t know why, but something about Joseph made him want to tear the werewolf apart. There just seemed to be something off with him. These past few days, everything he did seemed to revolve around Grace somehow. Even now the thought of having Joseph at the Invitational made him sick. Why was she so invasive in his life…

Oh. _Oh._

It all made sense to him. He broke up with Sabrina the day before; he just couldn’t do it anymore. She had been such a bitch and he had never realized it until then. She asked him why he was doing it and—

And he said it was because he was in love with someone else. He didn’t know what had come over him. But now it made sense. He was in love with someone else… he was in love with Grace.

Just like that, the thought of her flooded his mind. Grace, Grace, GRACE, mate, Grace— wait, what? MATE? He knew he should be freaked out. Just the other month Derek gave everyone the ‘mate talk’ and everything. Yet, somehow, he wasn’t intimidated that he thought of Grace this way. It was like deep down he always knew. Suddenly, the thoughts of Grace with Joseph entered his mind. The way she had kissed him at the ball. He got angry and jealous and extremely possessive over her, even though she wasn’t his— but the thought of anyone else touching her…

He felt a sharp pain in his lower back. He bent down to the ground, fingers curling into the dirt. The pain spread throughout his body. He heard the break of bones. He clutched the dirt even tighter with his fingers— no, they weren’t fingers anymore— they were claws. His vision went red and he growled unlike he ever had before. It wasn’t a warning or a challenge or even a content growl. It was one of anger and lust and jealousy.

He heard rapid footsteps and he turned around to face the house and saw his father standing in the doorway, eyes red as well. The rest of the werewolves, even Lena, were shifted into their beta form on instinct, eyes glowing golden yellow. 


	5. Somewhere Along in the Bitterness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Father son Alpha bonding in the woods.  
> The Big Swim meet.  
> An interview gets personal and Grace has to face the tragedy that has haunted her for months.  
> Derek has a heart-to-heart with Grace and tells her his story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from The Fray's song "How to save a life"
> 
> Derek is so comforting on this chapter. We see a softer side of him. I wanted to explore the depth of his character over twenty-five years.

**FOUR YEARS AGO**

Nobody moved. They stood there in a face off, staring each other down. Dylan was growling lightly, turning to face his father. Derek let out a fierce growl and shifted into his Alpha form as well. He approached his son and gave him a light nudge. He started off into the woods and tilted his head to indicate that he wanted Dylan to follow. The two Alphas sprinted off into the woods.

They ran and ran and ran until Dylan, unaccustomed to wolf form, had to pause and take a breath. His father turned around and sat in front of him. For a while, they just sat there staring at each other. 

_I’m proud of you, son._

_Whoa, whoa! Where did that come from? What the—_

_Son, it’s me, your father. We’re both in Alpha form. To anyone else it sounds like growling, but you can understand me._

_Awesome._ The elder laughed.

 _You know we have to talk about what just happened._ Derek looked into his son’s eyes with a serious demeanor. 

_Yeah, yeah I know._

_It’s Grace isn’t it._

_How did you know?_

_I just did. Your first shift is usually caused by extreme stress or extreme happiness. Which is it?_

_Anger._ Dylan was starting to fume just thinking about Grace and Joseph. _Joseph made me angry. He hit on Grace and she acted like it was nothing. She invited him to her meet! I mean, she… he… she just can’t. She CAN’T!_ Dylan growled loudly. Derek quickly returned the gesture with his own Alpha growl. _Calm down Dylan. You’re mad because Grace is your mate._

 _WHAT?_ Dylan asked, though deep down he knew what his father just said was true. Derek began explaining what Deaton had told them just days ago.

When he finished, he looked at his son. _I was supposed to wait and tell you that, but I think the circumstances called for action. Now, I know I just told you some very serious stuff, but we have to return home or we’ll miss the meet all together._

The father and his son raced back home. 

* * *

They were greeted by knowing smiles and mischievous eyes. Erica came up to him first. “Well if you aren’t a spitting image of your dad. No all you have to do is be emotionally constipated.” She said and enveloped him in a hug. Boyd came next, followed by his Uncle Danny. Then came Jackson and Lydia who both congratulated him on his first shift. His Aunt Allison and Uncle Scott squished him in a sandwich-like hug. Scott ruffled his hair. “My godson is now a godMAN!” he said and everyone laughed.

Tyler came up to him and smirked. He pulled him into a hug and wrestled him around a bit. “Dude, that was so freaking cool! You gotta show me again some time!” he said and took all the pressure off Dylan. He smiled at his friend. However, Tyler then added, “And if you weren’t totally trying to fuck my sister, I’d be happy for you realizing your love a girl.” He said and smiled. How did he know? Tyler shot him a look saying _dude, I’m your best friend, of COURSE I know when your crushing on a girl._ Dylan blushed and fumbled a little until he stumbled upon his Dad.

 “I’m really proud of you son. Your father and I both are. You’re growing up so fast.” His dad said and kissed him on the forehead. He had to lean up a little because Dylan had outgrown both his fathers, now standing at 6’2”.

“Now, everyone! Let’s go cheer on our kids as they beat everyone else!” Stiles said and herded his pack into the car. He pulled his husband back and gave him a quick kiss. “Our little boy is growing up.” Derek smiled.

“I know. Good thing we have another one to smother.” He pressed a quick kiss to his husband cute little nose and they got to the car and drove off to Riverside.

* * *

 

Riverside academy was grand, and since it was decked out for the Hallston Invitational, it seemed even more extravagant. The pool was twice the size of anything Grace and Dylan had ever been in and there were enough bleachers for spectators to fill the large space and still not have the gigantic room feel crowded.

Announcers went over rules and families and friends cheered as the competitors were introduced to the crowd. Grace scanned the massive sea of people and found the Pack sitting together, their faces filled with excitement. She showed them to James, and he smiled, making goo-goo eyes at her brother from across the pool.

Grace chuckled. “If you’re done eye-fucking Ty, I would like to go win a meet now.” She said, but, if anything, her voice was fond. 

James turned around with a sly grin on his face and replied, “I’m not the only one with some personal fans.” She turned to look back at the pack and found Joseph sitting next to Allison. She blushed and looked down at the suddenly interesting floor tiles. James took her hand and they went over to go meet some of the other competitors. 

There were a bunch of swimmers from New York and Massachusetts. She made small talk with some of them, asking about their lives and their swimming. Some of them were nice and there was this one girl, Alice, who was sweet. Many of the others, however, brushed her off, seeing her as competition and nothing more. She saw some similar faces as she looked around. She settled on Gretchen Cambria and Reginald Parker, two bitter rivals. She nudged James and pointed in their direction. He snorted and muttered, “Assholes.”

Finally, the officials announced the schedule for the races. James was up first for his individual and Grace, just her luck, was dead last in the order. Awesome. 

The guys took to their lanes. The crowd quieted down, the first race of the day about to start. “Swimmers, take your block.” They heard over the intercom. They competitors got ready and in what felt hours, the shot sounded.

Grace shifted her position so she could get a better view of the race. It was only 100-meter, so if she wasn’t careful, she might miss it. She had to admit that these guys were incredibly fast. Since James was a werewolf, he had an advantage over everyone. However, years ago Uncle Stiles had figured out a simple herbal mixture that suppressed a werewolf’s super strength and agility for one hour (They still retained their super healing as a safety precaution). James had taken it just before they came to the meet.

“And they’re in the last 25 meters with Parker and Whittemore locked in a battle for first place.” The announcers voice said over the now loud roar of the crowd. From where she was, she could see the two swimmers battling it out. She cheered for James, wanting him to be victorious so they could be winners together.

The last few meters were wild. Each swimmer pulling ahead then falling behind. Reginald pulled ahead the last few feet, but James surged with all his effort and they reached the end. The entire congregation looked to the board to see who won. Just then _Whittemore- 1 st_appeared on the screen along with the announcers voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, your Hallston Men’s 100-meter Fly Champion, James Whittemore.” The crowd went ballistic. They cheered and hollered and yelled out. 

Grace ran up to him and congratulated him. “Oh my god! I can’t believe it!” James smiled at her and hugged her tightly. A bunch of other swimmers came up to James and started congratulating him as well. Reginald came up to him and told him that he was ‘a worthy opponent’ like something out of sports movie. The two teens went back to the bench on the side of he pool to watch because the announcers were already introducing the swimmers for the next event. 

They gossiped about some of the players and gawked at others. (Sure one was in a relationship and the other was hoping for one, but DAMN. This many hot guys in speedos? How could they not appreciate the sight before them?) 

Grace put in her earphones as the race before hers started. It was her ritual, as it was with many athletes, to tune out all other sounds with their music. She listened to an old lullaby that her grandmother used to sing to her Abba. It seemed weird listening to a lullaby, but she didn’t want anything to upbeat. Many athletes listen to something loud and fast to get their blood pumping and their minds ready for a race. Grace, however, preferred to listen to soft, calming music so that she could relax. The swimming pool was like a second home to her and listening to the lullaby she felt just as if she were going to bed. This race was just another race that she wanted to win. Too much pressure would make her go crazy. 

James tapped her on the shoulder. “It’s time.” He said and turned toward the blocks where the other swimmers were getting ready. She stood up and took off her jacket and pants and walked over to the pool.

The announcers were reading of the names of the competitors. “Well, in lane 4 we have Grace Mahealani and in lane 5 we have Gretchen Cambria. These two are bitter rivals.” 

“That’s right,” said the female announcer. “In the regular season, Grace is 4-1 against Gretchen, but in the invitational world Gretchen has won the past four years.” 

“Everyone thought Mahealani was going to take home gold in the Lambton Invitational a few months ago, over the summer, but then a tragic accident left her in a fragile state. Let’s see if she can finally put that behind her today.” The shot fired. 

Grace’s mind was on fire. She had a million thoughts running through her mind, but she pushed them back and focused on winning. She looked briefly to her right and saw that Gretchen was still close to her and began to pull forward. In what felt like a matter of seconds, the first 50 meters were done and it was the last few meters of the race. Grace and Gretchen were still neck and neck as the neared the ¾ mark. It seemed like it would be close, but Grace was on a warpath. She hit the turn and surged forward with al the power she had. She focused her energy and floored. She could hear screeching from the crowd, but it was faint compared t the beating of her heart. She could vaguely see the finish line in front of her and pushed all the way until she felt the wall. The noise became louder and she came up for air and took off her goggled. A few seconds later, the other swimmers finished as well. 

She had won. She didn’t need anyone to tell her judging by the crushing hug he earned from James and the blinding grin he gave her. Her name was displayed on the board and the winner and she felt relief, She had won. She had won and he would be proud of her. He would’ve been so proud. 

Grace and James rushed over to where the pack was seated. Isaac and Danny hugged their daughter and congratulated her with tears in their eyes. Lydia and Jackson did the same to James. Tyler came to hug James and then he pulled him into a kiss. Homosexuality in sports had changed dramatically in the 25 years since their parents had been teenagers. The crowd cheered and a bunch of reporters swarmed the pack and took pictures of Ty and James’ kiss.The two gold medalists then shared a group hug with Victoria.

Grace found Joseph and smiled. He congratulated her. “Thanks,” She said. “I’m really happy you came. Maybe we can talk later but I have to go and do an interview!” She kissed him on the cheek and ran off with James to go set up for the interview.

They had to medal ceremony and then James and Grace went for the interview by the edge of the pool.

* * *

 The interview started off well. They were showered with the customary congratulations and questions about what they were feeling. The woman, Susan told James that he “had caught a cutie” and the camera zoomed in on Tyler. Ty blushed on camera and so did James. The crowd, who was watching the live interview, let out a collective “ _aww.”_

Things took a plunge when Susan turned to Grace. “Well, Grace, what does it feel like to win?”

“It feels amazing, Susan. I’ve been working really hard for months so I’m happy.” Grace replied.

“You did an amazing job. I think everyone was rooting for you, especially after what happened over the summer. Tell me, was it hard to go back to racing after your boyfriend died?” She leaned over and the camera focused on her.

She grabbed James’ hand tightly. “Well, it… it was hard.”

* * *

Isaac was positively homicidal. “How the hell can they question her about something like that! What are they thinking?” He stood up, but Danny pulled him back down. He looked around at the rest of the pack, who looked the same as Isaac. “We can’t help her,” he said, addressing the entire pack. “She has to do this on her own. She’ll be fine. She’s strong.” Danny said, sending silent prayers to his daughter that everything would be alright.

**PRESENT DAY**

"Holy shit I agree with your father!" Haley and and Wyatt both said at the same time.

"Yeah I would have ripped that bitch to shreds," Johnny added, and Grace could see a hint of fang in his smile.

"So unprofessional," Henry concluded, and Grace smiled because he was always the level headed one of the group. 

By this time they had finished dinner, and they were in the process of purring everything away, and cleaning the dishes. When they finished, Grace went upstairs to find the little box her Abba had given her when she was eight years old. She kept all of her best memories ad mementos in there. She came back down and opened the box, rummaging through for a few seconds until she found what she was looking for. 

She handed the picture over to Haley, who then showed it around. "This is him? This is Simon?" Haley asked cautiously, as she saw that Grace was barely keeping it together as it was. Grace just nodded silently. In the photo, Simon was smiling at the camera, a little out off focus, and was lighting a sparkler in the shape of a heart. He was always a romantic one. 

"The only thing that kept me sane for the rest of the interview, calm enough to answer the ludicrous question, was thinking back to this picture, this memory. It was taken just before after new years. It was a winter night, but obviously no the cold because it was California. Simon and I had the whole night to ourselves."

Grace paused for a second. Her four friends looked sympathetic, and Haley rested a hand on her back, asking her to continue but not wanting to push her too far. 

"That night, I had gone over to Simon's, and he picked me up and drove me out to this secluded woods area. We, uh... we had sex in the back of his car. This picture was taken maybe ten minutes later, when we were still a little punch drunk."

"You lost your virginity in the back of a car? I hope it was a nice car," Haley said trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah well, it was okay. I think is was a Ford? I don't really remember, I just remember it was the best night of my life. It was enough to keep me from tearing that interviewer's head clean off. "

* * *

**FOUR YEARS AGO**

“What happened? Were you hurt in the accident?” Susan asked. Grace was so close to ripping her head off, but she had to maintain her composure. She could do this.

“Yes, I was there. We were out in the woods, when a mountain lion attacked us. In Beacon Hills, there has been an animal problem for quite some time. Anyway, my boyfriend Simon decided to surprise me with a picnic out in the woods. We figured we would be safe because they’re hadn’t been an animal attack in quite some time. We were eating when…” Grace started getting choked up. She took a deep breath and continued, thinking about that first night in the woods with Simon.

“We were eating when a mountain lion spotted us. Simon moved quickly, grabbing me from where I was sitting and shielded me. That was his mistake. He started to approach it and I told him not to. If a mountain lion sees you, you have to appear larger and try to scare them off. I tried making a lot of noise and failing my arms and puffing out my chest and I backed away slowly. I was far enough away from him that I could leave if I wanted to, but I stayed. I wasn’t paying attention and caught my hand on a tree branch and it began bleeding. Simon turned his head and began to run towards me when the lion attacked. He tackled Simon and bit down on his neck. There was a lot of blood. I found a branch and managed to scare off the mountain lion, but it was too late. Simon was already dead.” Grace finished, and she couldn’t fight the urge to cry. The tears began streaming and she just couldn’t take it. She got up out of the chair she was in and stormed off.

James followed after her declaring that the interview was over. Danny and Isaac rushed over to Grace and tried to soothe her. She gave them each a hug, but didn’t feel any better and demanded to be taken home. Derek came up to the couple and offered to take her home. He whispered something in Isaac’s ear. Isaac nodded and looked to his husband. He took his hand and guided them back towards the stands. 

* * *

The long drive back home was tense. Grace cried and sniffled for most of the way back. On the last hour, though, she stopped and calmed down. She looked to her Uncle and Alpha and he looked back. He gave her a small smile and turned back to the road. They drove in silence for the remainder of the trip. They reached home, but Grace soon realized that they were at the Hale house. “What are we doing here?” she asked. She assumed that the was going to take her to her own home, just s few minutes away. 

Derek looked at her seriously. “We need to talk. Come on.” He said and got out of the car. Grace followed her Uncle all the way around the house and into the back yard. They kept walking and reached a secluded place in a corner of forest. They made their way closer and Grace could see headstones. “What is this place?” She asked.

Derek looked sad. “This is my family’s graveyard. We couldn’t bury them in the one in town because they’re wolves and we didn’t want anyone destroying their grave. So I buried them here.” Grace gasped. She took a closer look and saw the graves: Laura, Amelia, Andrew, Gregory and eight others— all Hales. There was silence as she processed what she was seeing.

“Have you ever heard the story about how they died?” He asked her, breaking the silence.

“All I know is that some hunters killed them.” She answered. 

“Sit, Grace.” He said and motioned to the forest floor. She felt uncomfortable sitting on graves, but Derek assured her that this was not supposed to be a sad place for mourning, but rather a place to celebrate life and that it was okay for them to be sitting there. He told her the story of his family. The real story about how they all burned because of Kate Argent. When he was finished, Grace looked at him with sadness in her eyes. 

“That’s the saddest story I’ve ever heard. I’m so sorry Uncle Derek.” She said faking a smile. 

“Thank you Grace.” He said and glanced quickly at the headstones before looking straight back up at her. “Now, tell me why you stormed out of there.” 

Grace took a deep breath once more and told her Uncle. “I just… I couldn’t sit there and tell the lie I had to make up for his death; the lie that I had to repeat over and over to the police and to Simon’s parents. They still believe it, though. A stupid story about a mountain lion.” Grace started to feel tears forming again.

“It wasn’t your fault Grace.”

“What?” 

“It’s not your fault.” Derek said. 

“It was, though. You had warned us. You had warned us that there was a rouge werewolf on the loose and to be careful. To not go out in the woods. Simon surprised me with a picnic and I should have said no. Should’ve made up some dumb excuse for canceling, but I went. I went to his picnic and he died. He died in my arms. Not… not instantly. No, he choked on his own blood and looked at me as I held him. He died because of me, uncle Derek. It IS my fault.” The tears flowed freely as she was too sad to hold them back. Derek wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in closer. 

“Listen to me Grace. It is not your fault. That’s why I told you that story about my family. It took me fifteen years to understand that what happened to my family wasn’t my fault. Simon’s death was not your fault either.” He said seriously. “Understand?” he asked in his Alpha voice. 

“Yeah.” Grace said. 

“You’re lying Grace. I can hear your heartbeat. You need to forgive yourself. You can mourn and feel sadness, but you can’t hold on to guilt. You’ll end up like me before I met your Uncle Stiles.” He said and laughed fondly, thinking back to the day he met his husband.

Grace sat up and looked into her Uncle’s eyes. “It’s not my fault.” She said and this time there was no tick in her heartbeat.

Grace and Derek talked for hours. Finally, Derek lifted his head as if he heard something. “They’re back.” Grace groaned, but she got up and started to walk back with him. 

Randomly, Derek turned to face Grace and said, “You know Grace, Dylan broke up with Sabrina.” They reached the house. Grace looked up at him shocked, especially when she saw the knowing smirk on his face. He knew that she was in love with his son? How? Talk about awkward!

“How did you know? What? Just… What?”

Derek laughed at her confusion. “I’m the Alpha. It’s my job to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the development of Derek's character. He's still hard and tough and angsty but he cares fot his new family.  
> Also, more details and aftermath effects of Simon and Grace's relationship will come to light.
> 
> And, reading this over, I realized that this is of course very Grace-centric. I wanted to write a story that really focused on her because she is the only human child of the original pack members. The final two chapters will feature the other characters a lot more.


	6. I Wanna Be Your Lover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the Meet, Grace has a surprising phone call conversation from Joseph.  
> Dylan finally mans up and tries to get the girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey lovely people! So, i know i haven't updated in a while, but here is the latest chapter.  
> See the end notes for more details about this story as well as my other two stories.

**FOUR YEARS AGO**

The whole pack was at the Hale house when they got back. Grace hadn’t realized she and Derek had been talking in the woods for so long. She saw her dads and walked up to hug them. Them embraced her and Isaac whispered “I’m so sorry” in her ear.

She pulled back and smiled. “It’s okay. I had to talk about it eventually.” Grace could tell the whole pack was trying not to look at her, but failing.

James stepped in to save his best friend. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but winning a gold medal had made me hungry!” He joked, causing the pack to chuckle softly and for his mother to announce that they were dining out this evening. 

Things settled in to the normal weekend routine. The younger kids were playing outside with supervision, and the older kids were studying or texting friends or whatever teenage werewolves seem to do, as Uncle Stiles would always say.

Grace was in her room, trying to get the book on her bed to levitate to no avail, and she gave up after a few minutes. She remembered that she had run out on Joseph and felt guilty. She found his number in her contacts, though she didn’t remember ever writing it down, and called him. 

“Hello?” Joseph answered.

“Hi Joseph, it’s me Grace.”

 “Grace, hi!”

“I wanted to apologize for today. Simon is just a really hard thing to talk about obviously and then I ran out. Sorry.” 

“It’s perfectly alright. I still have trouble talking about my mother. You were one of the first people I talked to about her.”

“Oh… well, also, I wanted to talk about our, uh, relationship thing…”

“Yes, I agree. Though I do not believe that we need to discuss this matter very much. It is obvious that you do not have feelings for me and I understand.”

“Yeah, hmm— wait, what?

“Grace, I was sitting in the stands with Dylan and the rest of your pack. I could feel the emotions radiating off him and I saw the look on your face when you looked at me. It wasn’t one of love, but of friendship. And that’s ok. And if you’ll excuse me I believe this conversation is over.” The line went dead as soon as Joseph finished. 

 _What the hell just happened,_ Grace thought to herself. 

* * *

**PRESENT DAY**

After having leftover cake from the fridge for dessert, the housemates retired to bed, realizing that it was already one a.m and they needed to get at least some sleep.

When Grace woke up the next morning, she saw that it read 10 a.m on her alarm clock, and she guessed that telling the story took more out of her than she realized. She also remembered that it was Saturday, so she could take her time and not worry about her classes. She went and woke the rest of her housemates, then went to go get dressed herself. When all five seniors were dressed and ready in the living room, Grace finally revealed her plan. 

"We're gonna go get some coffee, and then lets head to Central Park and I'll continue my story."

The five friends walked to the park and found a space on the great lawn. It was a cold day, but not too bad because  they even enjoyed some hot chocolate along with their coffee. 

Grace sat down and her phone began to ring, and she saw the caller ID. It was Reggie. She sighed and picked up the phone, standing up and walking a few feet away from the blanket where they all were sitting. 

"Hello?" Grace asked, even though she knew it was her boyfriend. 

"Hey babe. Guess what? I got the grant!" Reggie exclaimed and she could practically see him, wherever he was, dancing for joy like he always did. 

"Oh my goodness, Reg, that's great news!"

"Yeah, I'm really happy..." Reggie trailed off and Grace started to get a little worried. "The grant gave me a whole two years for the research but i have to go to the lab in three days and stay there for a while."

"How long is a while?"

"Uh, about two months?"

"But Uncle Derek is throwing our family's annual Christmas weekend party and Christmas dinner. Christmas is in six days! How are you going to make it there?"

"Noelani..." Reg began, but Grace already knew what he was going to say, as he only ever used her first name during emergencies or when he knew that she was going to be angry with him. 

"Dammit, Reginald! I've been planning this forever. The whole family is excited to meet you!" Grace practically screamed, and her friends whipped their heads in her direction, all of them looking worried. She waved them off with the universal hand gesture off 'everything is fine' but they knew better. 

"You know what Reg? Fine. Go ahead I'll just figure something out!" This time Grace did scream.

"Please don't do this babe-"

"Don't you 'babe' me! I love you but were done talking because I'm too angry right now to have a rational conversation." Grace ended the call and went back to her friends an sat down in her place on the blanket. 

She told Haley and Wyatt about the conversation, as she knew Henry and Johnny had already heard. They all said they were sorry and Haley offered to go in Reggie's place, explaining "I have nowhere to go since my family sucks, so I'll be your plus one! As long as Victoria is there I'm good," Haley added, and Grace remembered how well her two best friends got along whenever she would skype with Victoria three times a week. 

Even though Grace was still disappointed she couldn't bring Reggie, she was glad that Haley would be there with her. She would need the support.

* * *

 

**FOUR YEARS AGO**

Dylan was outside watching the younger kids play werewolf tag. With all that werewolf speed and strength, it made for a pretty interesting match up. His eyes were on the field, but his mind was on Grace. He had broken up with Sabrina, and only now he realized that it was because of Grace.

He wanted someone who cared about him and seemed genuinely interested in how his day was going. And, of course, someone who knew the secret because he could never see himself telling Sabrina.

The teen looked up as he saw Grace walking towards him. “We need to talk,” she said, her tone not leaving any room for argument.

Dylan simply nodded and followed her as she walked back into the house and up to her room. When they got to her bedroom she chanted an incantation and a faint glow lined the walls. It was a soundproofing spell that she took from one of Stiles’ books, but she hadn’t gotten it completely, so it was still visible ad a glow.

Dylan sat down on the bed and Grace sat next to him. Both were silent for while until the human blurted, “So Joseph, kind of dumped me!”

The werewolf stared at her with a calculating gaze. She looked tired. Her hair was frizzy, and she was in sweatpants and her BHHS Swim team sweatshirt. She still looked beautiful though. _Beautiful and available_ his mind supplied having registered her outburst. 

Dylan realized he’d been staring and tried to string together a sentence. “Uh, yeah… ok… GO OUT WITH ME!” he practically screamed in her ear. Grace looked dumfounded and dropped her jaw in shock.

 “Go… go out with me,” Dylan said repeated in  a normal voice. “This tomorrow night, go out with me. I’ll pick you up at seven and we’ll go to Paper Saints…” he trailed off after noticing that Grace still wasn’t responding. 

“Um, ok.”

“Really?”

“yeah.”

“Awesome! I’ll see you at seven.” Dylan said and walked out of the room. He went back outside and rejoined everyone else. The soundproof spell wore off and Grace just sat there confused as to what just happened. She was going on a date with Dylan Hale.

 She was going on a _date_ with Dylan Hale.

* * *

 

The next evening, Grace called Victoria, Lydia, Allison and Erica into her room. “Ok, I’m having a crisis.” She said exasperated.

 Lydia surveyed the room. There were a few dresses on the bed and few that were in the closet. Grace stood in the middle looking lost. “Well, sweetheart, that’s what you called us for isn’t it?”

“What’s all this for?” Victoria asked. 

“I have a date with Dylan in two hours.” Grace said.

The other women gaped. “Why the hell are we hearing about his now?” Erica asked astonished.

“Well, he asked me out yesterday…” Grace said.

The women wasted no time. Erica went to get her hair supplies and Allison went to get makeup. Lydia, of course, was in charge of clothing. Victoria was there as moral support, which helped Grace as her Aunts kept fussing and whispering.

 When she stepped out of the shower, Grace saw her three Aunts wielding various beauty supplies like weapons. She dried off and sat down in her desk chairs and let them do their magic. She and Dylan were going to Paper Saints, which wasn’t the fanciest restaurant in Beacon Hills, but it certainly wasn’t Joe’s Diner either, so Lydia dressed here appropriately.

* * *

“Dad? Papa?” Dylan called out, his heart beating quickly.

His Dad was the first one to appear, red eyes glowing and hands about to shift to claws. “What’s the matter?”

Just then his Papa came into the room. He took a look at Derek and turned alarmed towards his son. “What? Is someone hurt?” He asked worriedly.

“No, no, everyone’s fine. I just wanted to know if could borrow the Camaro.” Dylan said nervously.

His dad shifted back and his Papa deflated, both relieved that there was no danger. “Why do you want to borrow it?” His dad asked. He wasn’t angry, but genuinely interested. Dylan had never asked to borrow the Camaro before, the time when he was thirteen notwithstanding.

“I need it for my date.” The teenager answered and his heart was, if possibly, speeding up. “I need it for my date with Grace.”

 His parents both looked at him surprised. The his Papa broke out into a grin that reached his ears. His fathers didn’t say anything, but his Dad threw him the keys and nodded to him. His Papa, however, wouldn’t stop smiling and just before Dylan went upstairs to get ready, he turned to him and said “Good luck!” and tossed him something small. Dylan stared in half shock and half embarrassment at the condom his father had just thrown him.

“It’s what your grandfather did to me right before your Dad and I mated—"

“Oh no! Papa, that is gross and so do not need to hear anymore. Thanks, uh… yeah thanks and, uh, see you later…” Dylan stumbled up the stairs in a matter unbecoming of a werewolf.

He got to his room, but he didn't know what to wear. He was clueless, so he called for reinforcements. Tyler and James arrived within five minutes. 

"What?" James asked when Dylan shot him a skeptical look. "We knew that you were going to need help. My mom told me to come over because she went to help Grace. So, lets find you the right outfit to woo the clothes right off your lady!"

"Watch it, James. She's my sister." Tyler grumbled, but in the end he was the one with the most advice. He said it was because he was tired of his sister pining. And pining. And pining. 

Before they knew it, it was time for Dylan to go pick up Grace. 

* * *

 

**PRESENT DAY**

Holiday break had finally arrived and Grace and Haley said their goodbyes to the boys and headed to LaGuardia airport to catch their flight to San Francisco. After going through security and getting to the gate, Haley asked Grace the question she'd been dying to know.

"Grace, why haven't you been home in three years?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry this chapter so short. It's sort of a filler chapter (i know okay! Don't look at me like that!) because the next chapter is going to be the last. This story is going to end pretty soon since I already have an outline for the next installment of the series. 
> 
> Also, exams are ALMOST OVER. yeah!!!! anyway, that means i will have time to update both "Everything and Nothing" as well as "So you wanna be a Hero"
> 
> stay tuned! Thanks again your all amazing!!!


	7. Author's Note

Hi everyone. Sorry that this isn't an actual story update, but there are a few things I want to tell you about the story.

I originally wrote this story as a flashback, but I decided to change it. I actually have 5 more chapters written, but they're all set 4 years after the events of the first 7 chapters, so I'm trying to rework everything so it fits. That being said, I really like the way I have the other chapters set up, so I will be going back to my original plan and making this story told, in part, through flashbacks. It's going to be a sort of flashback and flashfoward between chapters and within them, but i promise to try and make it so that it is understandable for everyone.

Also, please note that the tags have changed. Some have been added as a warning for anyone who might feel uncomfortable with any of the subject matter. Some of it is pretty serious, but none of it should be triggering, but I'll tag is just in case. :)

Hey Guys! So sorry, but there were family visits and hospitals and all sorts of crap going on! I am still finishing this chapter, I'm so sorry for the delay! Please forgive me:(


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